7 Tips for the treatment of Migraine Pain at Home
If a migraine-related attack occurs and you are in a state of panic, you are looking for relief. According to Janine Good, MD, some people find that taking migraine medications may help reduce the pain is an assistant professor in neurology for the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.
Is there anything else to try to speed up the process or make it easier to bear the symptoms until the medication begins to take effect?
If you are looking for first aid for migraine, you can try these recommendations. The majority of these treatments are completely free and have no negative side effects.
- Rest in a Quiet, Dark Room
Many sufferers of migraine experience sensitization to light and sounds, which can cause migraines to become more severe. According to a research study published in Nature Neuroscience, The pain caused by light could be traced to a particular group of cells that sense light within the eye, known as intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which assist in keeping the sleep-wake cycle in check and maintaining a pupil response to light. In rodents, the cells can connect with brain cells which transmit pain.
Exposure to light stimulates ipRGC cells and pain-transmitting cells, which are activated for a few minutes. Researchers believe that this mechanism might be why the pain in your head is more severe in lighting and gets better 20 to 30 minutes after being in darkness.
Choose a room that is dark and peaceful, and you might be able to fall asleep, according to what Dr. Good says. “Not all headaches are responsive to sleep,” she notes; however, the chemical changes that occur by your brain when you sleep could ease your discomfort. She also suggests that If you are sensitive to sounds, blocking them may help.
- Apply a hot or cold envelope for your head or neck
Apply a cold or warm compress over your forehead or around the side of your neck.
“Many of my patients would prefer cold compresses,” says Lawrence C. Newman, MD director of the headache division in NYU Langone Medical Centre situated in New York City and a board member of the American Migraine Foundation.
Cold can cause the effect of numbing. “It blocks the brain from experiencing pain,” says Good. “You are stimulating nerve endings other than in the area where you are placing the compression.
To safeguard your skin ensures that you keep a clean cloth on your body and ice packs. If you are using a commercial cold pack, ensure there are not any holes where chemicals could escape and possibly harm your eyes, as per researchers at the University of Michigan Health.
Certain people might prefer a warm compress, doctor. Newman says. It can ease tension in muscles. It is also possible to take a bath or shower at a warm temperature.
- Hydrate Aggressively
Around one-third of those suffering from migraine say dehydration can trigger headaches, as per the American Migraine Foundation. Drinking water during migraine attacks, therefore, could assist in preventing certain.
When you start to feel that a migraine is beginning to set in, drinking plenty of water could help cut down the duration of your migraine attack, suggests Roderick Spears, MD neurologist and headache specialist at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. “Drinking plenty of water may help,” he says.
Are you having trouble drinking enough water? You can try flavoring water by adding slices of lime or lemon or adding the smallest amount of fruit juice. Then, if your water is more flavorful, you can take a sip more.
- Massage Your Temples
Massage can help muscles relax. It is being studied as a method of relief from pain for various ailments, such as headaches, under the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
The degree to which this can help you is dependent on the individual, Newman says. For example, certain people suffering from migraine are extremely sensitive to touch, and massages can cause them to feel more uncomfortable. This is particularly relevant for those with allodynia which is a very frequent sign of migraine when people are highly sensitive to the touch or other stimuli that are not normally painful.
As per the American Migraine Foundation, the condition can cause allodynia to make routine activities like brushing your hair or putting the head against a cushion extremely painful.
- Try Meditating
Up to 8 out of 10 migraine sufferers mention stress as the reason for their headaches, claims Rebecca Wells, MD, an assistant professor at Wake Forest Baptist Health in North Carolina and the director of its comprehensive headache program.
The practice of mindfulness helps people deal with stress differently by focusing on what is happening in the present.
“One way to practice mindfulness that is accessible to everyone is to focus on a feeling, such as breath,” she says. It is normal to experience thoughts and emotions while you are practicing the practice of mindfulness so pay attention to them and then shift your focus towards your breath, according to that Dr. Wells.
The researchers are trying to find out the possibility that practicing this form of meditation could alter how a person responds to stress and aid in managing migraine. A study in 2020 released in JAMA Internal Medicine conducted by Wells and colleagues revealed that mindfulness meditation could aid in the treatment of the general headache burden in certain patients by improving impairment, quality of life, and mood.
- Smell the Lavender
The aroma that comes from lavender can have a relaxing effect that can assist in relieving stress. A study published in the Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research discovered that aromatherapy for four weeks using lavender essential oil reduced anxiety, stress, and depression in postpartum women.
Lavender oil is also researched specifically as a remedy for migraine. A small study published in European Neurology evaluated the benefits of essential oils of lavender in patients who suffer from migraine. In the placebo-controlled test, participants who took the lavender essential oil over 15 minutes had less severe headaches than those who did not.
- Prevent Attacks With Exercise
Exercise during a migraine attack can cause the pain to get worse. However, exercise between attacks could help decrease the number of attacks you experience.
Contrary to popular opinion, exercise does not cause migraine for most people, claims Dale Bond, Ph.D. Professor of psychiatry and human behavior in The Miriam Hospital and Brown Alpert Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island.
“In regards to fitness generally, we would advise our patients to begin by walking — it is simple, it is affordable, safe, and practical to do it often,” says Bond.
This could reduce migraine and even prevent migraine attacks via physical mechanisms, such as reducing inflammation and improving heart health, he adds.
Regular exercise can help decrease stress and improve sleep, in the opinion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Conclusion
When combined with medication, These methods for managing your lifestyle and home remedies are effective for various people, Newman says. However, if they are not helping your pain, you might want to talk to your doctor about adjustments in your treatment regimen.
